86

64

84.5

83.3

83.4

.562

.542

3.4%

96.6%

100.0%

0.0%

0.7%

79

70

84.1

84.8

82.4

.554

.534

0.0%

81.5%

81.5%

1.9%

12.6%

The Cardinals end September with a scheduled stuffed full of Cubs and Astros. But will they still cling to sanity when confronted with the sight of a competitive playoff team? As Aton whimpered in Isaac Asimov’s “Nightfall,” “Stars—all the Stars—we didn't know at all.”

3

84

64

81.5

78.4

79.4

.546

.566

5.6%

74.9%

80.4%

-2.0%

-10.4%

Brett Anderson’s overtaxed medical team barely gets out of bed for a busted oblique, but this late in the season, even a strain can be season ending. The A’s face their final 10 games against the Tigers, Yankees, and Rangers with a rotation of rookies whose lack of experience will either crush them or keep them loose, depending on your narrative.

4

85

64

73.4

70.6

72.4

.506

.526

25.6%

61.1%

86.7%

9.3%

35.6%

Suddenly, the Orioles are winning extra-inning games by TWO runs. So what's the narrative now?

5

85

63

84.5

85.1

86.0

.575

.595

74.4%

23.6%

98.0%

2.8%

7.6%

Derek Jeter got his eighth 200-hit season, tying Lou Gehrig, while his shortstop counterpart Omar Vizquel passed Babe Ruth on the all-time hit list. Both will still be playing in their 50s as they chase the respective legends’ home run totals.

72

76.2

75.2

75.4

.510

.490

0.0%

8.9%

8.9%

-1.9%

-8.9%

76

72

79.0

79.4

76.6

.525

.505

0.0%

6.9%

6.9%

1.3%

3.8%

You have the wild card! No, you have the wild card! YOU have the wild card!

9

88

60

86.0

90.6

89.3

.598

.617

94.2%

5.8%

100.0%

0.3%

0.3%

The Rangers won without Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre. And with Michael Young!

10

79

69

79.5

81.5

81.6

.543

.563

29.4%

5.5%

34.9%

11.2%

-18.9%

Is there a Triple Crown for Misfielding, TOOTBLANs, and grounding into double plays? If so, I think Miguel Cabrera would be "in the discussion."

11

79

70

83.5

83.9

85.6

.557

.577

0.0%

4.4%

4.4%

0.5%

-34.8%

Hey, look at all these runs we’re piling on! /waves Pythag Flag

12

90

58

88.4

89.4

87.7

.601

.581

96.6%

3.4%

100.0%

0.0%

0.0%

No one talks about the Nationals anymore. :(

13

74

74

77.8

78.1

77.8

.520

.500

0.0%

1.8%

1.8%

-0.1%

-2.1%

Yes, the D-Backs’ victory on Wednesday kept them in Wild Card kinda-contention, but at this point, their season takes a backseat to Brad Ziegler’s quest to break the single-season ground-ball rate record. A three-out, three-grounder seventh raised his rate to 77 percent.

14

81

67

81.8

79.3

78.3

.541

.561

70.6%

1.7%

72.3%

-10.8%

24.0%

Since the end of May, Paul Konerko has hit .262/.330/.406, and A.J. Pierzynski is slumping in September. Fortunately, Dewayne Wise is still around to carry the torch for mid-30s players having weirdly successful seasons.

15

74

74

72.7

73.0

70.9

.491

.471

0.0%

0.5%

0.5%

-1.3%

-4.2%

No, you have the wild card! You have the wild card! JUST TAKE IT!

16

75

74

74.0

76.3

75.9

.505

.485

0.0%

0.4%

0.4%

0.1%

-2.3%

Ryan Howard homered! It’s the Sam Miller anti-jinx!

17

70

80

70.5

68.8

70.5

.466

.486

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Justin Smoak saw seven pitches in five at-bats last night.

18

71

78

69.8

70.5

69.5

.471

.451

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

0.0%

Before last night, Mark Kotsay hadn’t started a game since August, but Kotsay has moved beyond such petty concerns as playing time. He’s now ascended to a higher plane where the Padres pay him to sit perfectly still and radiate pure clubhouse presence.

19

66

81

69.4

65.1

66.9

.455

.475

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Swept in a doubleheader. And the city turns to hockey... oh.

20

86

63

80.5

78.5

77.2

.541

.521

100.0%

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.3%

Bud Selig is waiting to “see how it all plays out” with the batting title and Melky Cabrera. He’s going to call a tie.

21

68

82

72.3

74.6

74.9

.483

.503

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Daniel Bard really need to be opposing starters in a game.

22

58

90

63.5

59.9

59.6

.407

.388

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

A day apart last December, the Twins signed Josh Willingham for three years and $21 million, and the Rockies signed Michael Cuddyer for three years and $31.5 million. A day apart this September, Willingham hit his 35th homer, and Cuddyer continued not to play. Paging Doc Brown to Baseball Ops.

23

48

101

52.0

52.1

52.3

.343

.325

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

The best thing about Jose Altuve is that he’s the only player on Houston who qualifies for the batting title.

24

67

81

69.6

65.4

65.5

.452

.472

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Bruce Chen shut out the White Sox to lower his team-leading (qualified) ERA to 5.22.

25

90

59

83.7

81.4

78.6

.560

.540

100.0%

0.0%

100.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Jonathan Broxton, since the trade from Cincinnati, is pitching (almost) like Jonathan Broxton again: 15 Ks and three walks in 18 innings.

26

66

84

64.6

67.3

68.3

.444

.424

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

The Marlins were nearly no-hit on Opening Day with a lineup including Emilio Bonifacio, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Stanton, and Omar Infante. Yesterday was pretty much the same, with Rob Brantly, Donovan Solano, Bryan Petersen, and the electrifying Gorkys Hernandez.

27

58

91

61.8

58.0

58.4

.396

.377

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Paul Maholm is still leading the Cubs in wins.

28

62

87

62.9

65.4

65.2

.429

.448

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Glen Perkins now has 13 saves on the season and a career 2.83 ERA and 8.7 K/9 in relief. His career as a starter: 5.06 ERA and 4.3 K/9 in the rotation.

29

66

82

68.2

71.7

73.9

.473

.453

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

How Mets would it be if they traded alleged party animal Ike Davis away to a boring city and he flourished because there’s no night life there?

30

61

88

56.1

60.6

61.6

.401

.421

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

The bad news is that their latest loss to the Twins dropped the Indians into last place. The good news is that with six home games to go, Cleveland is still clinging to an 1,853-fan lead over the Astros in the race for 28th place in attendance.